Roles

When his workplace turned toxic and his partnership opportunity dried up, this doctor learned the hard way that it's better to cut your losses and move on&mdashbefore it's too late.

Standards of care set the stage for you and your clients so you can work together to help pets stay sleek, strong, and full of energy.

The IRS is changing rules that required employers to send in employee-withholding forms (Form W-4s) that claimed more than 10 exemptions or that claimed complete exemption from withholding when $200 or more in weekly wages was expected, according Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Gary Glassman, CPA, a partner with Burzenski & Co. PC in East Haven, Conn. Now, employers only need to submit a Form W-4 when the IRS requests one.

Don't let those New Year's goals slip away. Act now.

How do you keep your cool in stressful situations?

A co-worker told me in confidence that he was looking for a new job. I encouraged my friend to tell the doctor he wasn't happy and to try to work things out, but he quit instead and took a job at a rival practice. Now the doctor is mad at me. He says I'm not loyal. I disagree. Who's right?

The best of both worlds, the ProSal compensation formula pays associates on a percentage of production and guarantees a base salary. Find out why this method's a top choice for associates, and why you'll like it, too.

Use these tips to stay cool as a cucumber when clients get hot under the collar.

No one follows our time schedules—I regularly work at least 30 minutes after my shift was supposed to end. Is this fair?

Everyone knows that recognition is an integral component of managing and keeping team members happy. But admittedly, sometimes there's little or no budget for such rewards.

When most practice owners hear the four-letter word "OSHA," chills run up their spines. And I can certainly understand why—citations and fines aren't on anyone's wish list.

"If the unrestrained animal is the hospital's pet, the responsibility is clearly the hospital's," says Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Karl Salzsieder, JD, a consultant with Salzsieder Consulting and Legal Service in Kelso, Wash. "If it's a client's pet, the liability depends on how the injury happened."

Sometimes I am just so completely right. And yet, the world doesn't notice. That's when it's hardest for me to stay cool under pressure. And that's when I'm most likely to blow it-and blow my top. Identify? And yet, these touchy moments are the times when I most need to find a way to stay calm, cool, and collected.

Only 21 percent of practices conduct performance evaluations, says Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, CVPM, a consultant with Brakke Consulting Inc. in Dallas. Yet your success in practice largely depends on how well you manage people. And performance evaluations let employees know how they're doing, so they-and you-can improve.

A few ill-chosen words can leave your message garbled. So if you see confusion or anger when you expected a smile, rewind your conversation and look for these verbal miscues.

Looking for a new way to keep your team motivated? When team members at Franklin County Animal Hospital Inc., in Rocky Mount, Va., got into a rut, they adopted an idea from 1001 Ways to Energize Employees by Bob Nelson (Workman Publishing Co., 1997), and modified it to fit their practice.

I'm a manager, but the doctor won't give me the authority to discipline employees when necessary. What do I do?

The doctor won't fire a problem employee. What can I do?

Use this sample to develop your own written warning notice.

Legally, you can terminate an at-will employee at any time. Of course, there are some exceptions.

The veterinarian I work for has questionable ethics; he treats animals in ways that clients wouldn't approve.

Rep. Tom Lantos introduced the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (H.R. 3858), which would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

At Catawba Animal Clinic in Rock Hill, S.C., it truly pays to be a longstanding employee.

Take these steps to document poor performance.

In the wake of the 2004 tsunami, Dr. Kerry Levin did the almost unthinkable?she put her solo practice, North State Animal Hospital in Ukiah, Calif., on hold and ventured across the world to volunteer. Armed with a passport, some past veterinary experience in third-world countries, and a desire to help, she traveled alone to Sri Lanka in February.

In October 2005, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed S.B. 861, which allows cities and counties to enact dog-breed-specific ordinances pertaining only to mandatory spay and neuter programs and breeding requirements.

Background checks are not a waste of time or money. Here's why.

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Even veterinary teams sometimes overlook the power of the love and support pets provide. But now and then you may get an important reminder that a pet can lend hope and support healing--just as this veterinary student did.